Weidong Liu, Yin Sun, Sining Yue, Yi Kong, Qianqian Cong, Yufei Lan, Mingwen Zhao, Liang Shi
{"title":"ATP deficiency triggers ganoderic acids accumulation via fatty acid β-oxidation pathway in Ganoderma lucidum.","authors":"Weidong Liu, Yin Sun, Sining Yue, Yi Kong, Qianqian Cong, Yufei Lan, Mingwen Zhao, Liang Shi","doi":"10.1186/s12934-025-02668-2","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12934-025-02668-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Ganoderic acids (GAs), recognized as significant triterpenoid bioactive components in Ganoderma lucidum, exhibit a broad spectrum of pharmacological activities, including immunomodulation, anti-cancer, and anti-aging properties. Despite their significant pharmacological potential, the low yield of GAs from natural sources has emerged as a critical bottleneck hindering their broader application in the pharmaceutical and health care industries. Previous studies have suggested that environmental perturbations can influence energy metabolism, potentially impacting the biosynthesis of bioactive compounds. However, the specific influence of environmental changes on energy metabolism and subsequent effects on GAs synthesis in G. lucidum remains an understudied area.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We demonstrated that intracellular ATP deficiency significantly influences GAs accumulation induced by alterations in energy metabolism. Intracellular ATP deficiency was consistently observed under all four known conditions that induce GAs accumulation: heat stress (HS), nitrogen limitation, treatment with 50 µM methyl jasmonate (MeJA), and treatment with 200 µM salicylic acid (SA). Consistent with these findings, silencing the ATP synthase beta subunit (ATPsyn-beta) or treating with oligomycin (Oli), an ATP synthase inhibitor, increased GAs accumulation and induced intracellular ATP deficiency in G. lucidum. Our results revealed an increase in the GAs biosynthetic pathway and increased levels of the GAs precursor acetyl-CoA in mycelia with intracellular ATP deficiency. Enhanced fatty acid β-oxidation was identified as the primary source of additional acetyl-CoA, indicating that this process, induced by intracellular ATP deficiency, is crucial for GAs accumulation.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study demonstrated that changes in intracellular ATP content respond to environmental perturbations and impact the biosynthesis of GAs, holding substantial implications for production practices. Modulating ATP levels could increase GAs yields, cater to market demands, and reduce costs. The research also furnishes a scientific foundation for optimizing cultivation conditions, employing genetic engineering to refine biosynthetic pathways, and leveraging environmental control to boost production efficiency.</p>","PeriodicalId":18582,"journal":{"name":"Microbial Cell Factories","volume":"24 1","pages":"62"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11900599/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143605677","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Metabolic engineering for sustainable xylitol production from diverse carbon sources in Pichia pastoris.","authors":"Xiaocong Lu, Mingxin Chang, Xiangyu Li, Wenbing Cao, Zhoukang Zhuang, Qian Wu, Tao Yu, Aiqun Yu, Hongting Tang","doi":"10.1186/s12934-025-02683-3","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12934-025-02683-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Xylitol, known for its health benefits, is a valuable compound in the food and pharmaceutical industries. However, conventional chemical production methods are often unsustainable for large-scale applications, prompting the need for alternative approaches. This study demonstrates a significant enhancement in xylitol production using microbial cell factories, optimized through metabolic engineering. Two synthetic pathways were combined, and the introduction of a novel NADPH-dependent xylitol dehydrogenase further boosted xylitol yields, achieving 0.14 g xylitol/g glucose-a record-high yield for microbial systems. Additionally, the use of sustainable feedstocks, such as glycerol and methanol, led to the production of 7000 mg/L xylitol with a yield of 0.35 g xylitol/g glycerol, and 250 mg/L xylitol from methanol. These results underscore the potential for eco-friendly, cost-effective xylitol production, providing a robust foundation for future industrial-scale biotechnological applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":18582,"journal":{"name":"Microbial Cell Factories","volume":"24 1","pages":"59"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11892284/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143586218","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ryan Wei Kwan Wong, Marissa Foo, Jasmine R S Lay, Tiffany L T Wai, Jackson Moore, Fabien Dutreux, Cristen Molzahn, Corey Nislow, Vivien Measday, Joseph Schacherer, Thibault Mayor
{"title":"Mining yeast diversity unveils novel targets for improved heterologous laccase production in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.","authors":"Ryan Wei Kwan Wong, Marissa Foo, Jasmine R S Lay, Tiffany L T Wai, Jackson Moore, Fabien Dutreux, Cristen Molzahn, Corey Nislow, Vivien Measday, Joseph Schacherer, Thibault Mayor","doi":"10.1186/s12934-025-02677-1","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12934-025-02677-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a widely utilized host cell for recombinant protein production due to its well studied and annotated genome, its ability to secrete large and post-translationally modified proteins, fast growth and cost-effective culturing. However, recombinant protein yields from S. cerevisiae often fall behind that of other host systems. To address this, we developed a high-throughput screen of wild, industrial and laboratory S. cerevisiae isolates to identify strains with a natural propensity for greater recombinant protein production, specifically focussing on laccase multicopper oxidases from the fungi Trametes trogii and Myceliophthora thermophila. Using this method, we identified 20 non-laboratory strains with higher capacity to produce active laccase. Interestingly, lower levels of laccase mRNA were measured in most cases, indicating that the drivers of elevated protein production capacity lie beyond the regulation of recombinant gene expression. We characterized the identified strains using complementary genomic and proteomic approaches to reveal several potential pathways driving the improved expression phenotype. Gene ontology analysis suggests broad changes in cellular metabolism, specifically in genes/proteins involved in carbohydrate catabolism, thiamine biosynthesis, transmembrane transport and vacuolar degradation. Targeted deletions of the hexose transporter HXT11 and the Coat protein complex II interacting paralogs PRM8 and 9, involved in ER to Golgi transport, resulted in significantly improved laccase production from the S288C laboratory strain. Whereas the deletion of the Hsp110 SSE1 gene, guided by our proteomic analysis, also led to higher laccase activity, we did not observe major changes of the protein homeostasis network within the strains with higher laccase activity. This study opens new avenues to leverage the vast diversity of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for recombinant protein production, as well as offers new strategies and insights to enhance recombinant protein yields of current strains.</p>","PeriodicalId":18582,"journal":{"name":"Microbial Cell Factories","volume":"24 1","pages":"60"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11892151/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143586221","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sameh S Ali, Rania Al-Tohamy, Majid Al-Zahrani, Michael Schagerl, Michael Kornaros, Jianzhong Sun
{"title":"Advancements and challenges in microalgal protein production: A sustainable alternative to conventional protein sources.","authors":"Sameh S Ali, Rania Al-Tohamy, Majid Al-Zahrani, Michael Schagerl, Michael Kornaros, Jianzhong Sun","doi":"10.1186/s12934-025-02685-1","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12934-025-02685-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The increasing global demand for sustainable protein sources necessitates the exploration of alternative solutions beyond traditional livestock and crop-based proteins. Microalgae present a promising alternative due to their high protein content, rapid biomass accumulation, and minimal land and water requirements. Furthermore, their ability to thrive on non-arable land and in wastewater systems enhances their sustainability and resource efficiency. Despite these advantages, scalability and economical feasibility remain major challenges in microalgal protein production. This review explores recent advancements in microalgal protein cultivation and extraction technologies, including pulsed electric field, ultrasound-assisted extraction, enzyme-assisted extraction, and microwave-assisted extraction. These innovative techniques have significantly improved protein extraction efficiency, purity, and sustainability, while addressing cell wall disruption and protein recovery challenges. Additionally, the review examines protein digestibility and bioavailability, particularly in the context of human nutrition and aquafeed applications. A critical analysis of life cycle assessment studies highlights the environmental footprint and economical feasibility of microalgal protein production compared to conventional protein sources. Although microalgal protein production requires significant energy inputs, advancements in biorefinery approaches, carbon dioxide sequestration, and industrial integration can help mitigate these limitations. Finally, this review outlines key challenges and future research directions, emphasizing the need for cost reduction strategies, genetic engineering for enhanced yields, and industrial-scale process optimization. By integrating innovative extraction techniques with biorefinery models, microalgal proteins hold immense potential as a sustainable, high-quality protein source for food, feed, and nutraceutical applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":18582,"journal":{"name":"Microbial Cell Factories","volume":"24 1","pages":"61"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11892233/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143586301","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ashley Gilliam, Natalie C Sadler, Xiaolu Li, Marci Garcia, Zachary Johnson, Marija Veličković, Young-Mo Kim, Song Feng, Wei-Jun Qian, Margaret S Cheung, Pavlo Bohutskyi
{"title":"Cyanobacterial circadian regulation enhances bioproduction under subjective nighttime through rewiring of carbon partitioning dynamics, redox balance orchestration, and cell cycle modulation.","authors":"Ashley Gilliam, Natalie C Sadler, Xiaolu Li, Marci Garcia, Zachary Johnson, Marija Veličković, Young-Mo Kim, Song Feng, Wei-Jun Qian, Margaret S Cheung, Pavlo Bohutskyi","doi":"10.1186/s12934-025-02665-5","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12934-025-02665-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The industrial feasibility of photosynthetic bioproduction using cyanobacterial platforms remains challenging due to insufficient yields, particularly due to competition between product formation and cellular carbon demands across different temporal phases of growth. This study investigates how circadian clock regulation impacts carbon partitioning between storage, growth, and product synthesis in Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942, and provides insights that suggest potential strategies for enhanced bioproduction.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>After entrainment to light-dark cycles, PCC 7942 cultures transitioned to constant light revealed distinct temporal patterns in sucrose production, exhibiting three-fold higher productivity during subjective night compared to subjective day despite moderate down-regulation of genes from the photosynthetic apparatus. This enhanced productivity coincided with reduced glycogen accumulation and halted cell division at subjective night time, suggesting temporal separation of competing processes. Transcriptome analysis revealed coordinated circadian clock-driven adjustment of the cell cycle and rewiring of energy and carbon metabolism, with over 300 genes showing differential expression across four time points. The subjective night was characterized by altered expression of cell division-related genes and reduced expression of genes involved in glycogen synthesis, while showing upregulation of glycogen degradation pathways, alternative electron flow components, the pentose phosphate pathway, and oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate. These molecular changes created favorable conditions for product formation through enhanced availability of major sucrose precursors (glucose-1-phosphate and fructose-6-phosphate) and maintained redox balance through multiple mechanisms.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our analysis of circadian regulatory rewiring of carbon metabolism and redox balancing suggests two potential approaches that could be developed for improving cyanobacterial bioproduction: leveraging natural circadian rhythms for optimizing cultivation conditions and timing of pathway induction, and engineering strains that mimic circadian-driven metabolic shifts through controlled carbon flux redistribution and redox rebalancing. While these strategies remain to be tested, they could theoretically improve the efficiency of photosynthetic bioproduction by enabling better temporal separation between cell growth, carbon storage accumulation, and product synthesis phases.</p>","PeriodicalId":18582,"journal":{"name":"Microbial Cell Factories","volume":"24 1","pages":"56"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11889915/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143586215","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alshymaa Abdel-Rahman Gomaa, Hesham A Abou-Zied, Sara Mahmoud Farhan, Ruqaiah I Bedaiwi, Mohammad A Alanazi, Stefanie P Glaeser, Peter Kämpfer, Usama Ramadan Abdelmohsen, Fatma Alzahraa Mokhtar, Enas Reda Abdelaleem
{"title":"Apium graveolens-associated Aspergillus sp.: metabolomic profiling and anti-MRSA potential supported by in silico studies.","authors":"Alshymaa Abdel-Rahman Gomaa, Hesham A Abou-Zied, Sara Mahmoud Farhan, Ruqaiah I Bedaiwi, Mohammad A Alanazi, Stefanie P Glaeser, Peter Kämpfer, Usama Ramadan Abdelmohsen, Fatma Alzahraa Mokhtar, Enas Reda Abdelaleem","doi":"10.1186/s12934-025-02645-9","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12934-025-02645-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a significant pathogen associated with healthcare-related infections that are often challenging to treat. Conditions such as, skin and soft tissue infections, bloodstream infections, and pneumonia highlight the critical need for effective therapeutic strategies. Careful use of antibiotics under medical supervision is essential to prevent the further emergence of MRSA. Recent studies have documented the antibacterial efficacy of certain endophytic fungi extracts against MRSA, suggesting their potential as a source of novel treatments. This study investigates the metabolomic profiling of the endophytic fungus Aspergillus sp. SH1 using liquid chromatography-high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC-HR-ESI-MS) and evaluates the anti-MRSA potential of the fungal extract. The metabolomic analysis identified 27 compounds (1-27) with diverse chemical natures, including polyketides, alkaloids, cyclic tripeptides, polypropionate derivatives, and sesquiterpenes. The fungal extract exhibited potent anti-MRSA activity, with an IC<sub>50</sub> value of 9.8 µg/mL, compared to ciprofloxacin (IC<sub>50</sub> = 25.7 µg/mL). To support these findings, in silico studies were performed to model the binding interactions of the identified compounds with key MRSA-related targets, including Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), von Willebrand factor (VWF), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), and penicillin-binding protein 2a (PBP2a). Compounds 2, 9, 15, 16, 20, 22, and 25 demonstrated enhanced binding affinities, suggesting their potential as lead molecules for developing new antibacterial agents targeting MRSA. In conclusion, this study highlights the promising anti-MRSA potential of Aspergillus sp. SH1 extract, providing a foundation for further exploration of its bioactive compounds in combating resistant bacterial infections.</p>","PeriodicalId":18582,"journal":{"name":"Microbial Cell Factories","volume":"24 1","pages":"57"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11889860/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143586213","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Amal M Abo-Kamer, Ahmed A Abdelaziz, Esraa S Elkotb, Lamiaa A Al-Madboly
{"title":"Production and characterization of a promising microbial-derived lipase enzyme targeting BCL-2 gene expression in hepatocellular carcinoma.","authors":"Amal M Abo-Kamer, Ahmed A Abdelaziz, Esraa S Elkotb, Lamiaa A Al-Madboly","doi":"10.1186/s12934-025-02671-7","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12934-025-02671-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Context and goal: </strong>This study aimed to isolate and optimize a high-yield lipase-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain from biological samples, enhance enzyme production through random mutagenesis, and evaluate its potential anticancer activity. Fifty-one biological samples (blood, urine, sputum, wound pus) were screened, and three isolates demonstrated significant lipase activity. The isolate with the highest activity, identified as P. aeruginosa (GenBank accession number PP436388), was subjected to ethidium bromide-induced mutagenesis, resulting in a two-fold increase in lipase activity (312 U/ml). Lipase production was optimized using submerged fermentation, with critical factors identified statistically as Tween 80, peptone, and substrate concentration. The enzyme was purified via ammonium sulfate precipitation and Sephadex G-100 chromatography, and its molecular weight (53 kDa) was confirmed by SDS-PAGE.</p><p><strong>Findings: </strong>Optimal conditions for enzyme production included a pH of 9, temperature of 20 °C, and a 24-h incubation period. The partially purified enzyme exhibited high stability at pH values up to 10 and storage temperatures of 4 °C. Anticancer activity was evaluated using the MTT assay, revealing an IC<sub>50</sub> of 78.21 U/ml against human hepatocellular carcinoma using HepG-2 cells, with no cytotoxicity observed against Vero cells. Flow cytometry confirmed that the enzyme's anticancer potential was mediated through apoptosis and necrosis. QRT-PCR data revealed that the expression of the Bcl-2 gene was significantly downregulated by 62% (P < 0.05) following the treatment of HepG-2 cells with the lipase enzyme. These findings suggest that lipase from P. aeruginosa holds promise as a novel therapeutic agent for hepatocellular carcinoma, addressing the limitations of current treatments.</p>","PeriodicalId":18582,"journal":{"name":"Microbial Cell Factories","volume":"24 1","pages":"58"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11890718/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143586304","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Surface display of eugenol oxidase and dioxygenase complex as a sustainable biocatalyst for efficient bioconversion of lignin-derived 4-n-propylguaiacol to vanillin.","authors":"Yongqing Tian, Yige Yang, Minmin Ni, Jing Wo","doi":"10.1186/s12934-025-02680-6","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12934-025-02680-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Vanillin is a widely utilized flavor compound of significant value in the food and pharmaceutical sectors, which can be obtained through natural extraction, chemical synthesis, or biotechnological processes. However, the yield from vanilla pods is insufficient to meet market demand, and chemically synthesized vanillin not only encounters limitations in its application within the food and pharmaceutical industries but also needs to address environmental concerns and unsustainable raw material sources. Hence, it is imperative to explore alternative approaches to develop an efficient and cost-effective green vanillin. To address the challenges encountered in vanillin biosynthesis, such as substrate uptake limitations and product-induced inhibition of cell growth,we leveraged the advantages of surface display technology and artificial multi-enzyme scaffolds to construct a hybrid surface-display biocatalytic system by assembling Eugenol oxidase (EUGO) and dioxygenase (NOV1), which can convert lignin biowaste 4-n-propylguaiacol (4-PG) into vanillin on the surface of Escherichia coli BL21(DE3).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>To assemble bioactive macromolecules of EUGO and NOV1 on the surface of E. coli BL21(DE3), we utilized Lpp-OmpA-SpyCatcher (LOAS) as an anchoring motif and displayed EUGO-linker-NOV1-SpyTag (ELNS) by covalent interaction between SpyTag andSpyCatcher to allow their spatial proximity. After optimization of the reaction system, our self-assembly display system exhibited highly efficiency in converting 4-PG into vanillin and reached a final concentration of vanillin at 12.58 g/L, 2.5 times higher than that achieved by thewhole-cell biocatalytic system. The LOAS-ELNS display system was applied to the sustainable biosynthesis of vanillin from lignin-derived 4-n-propylguaiacol at least 10 times.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This work provided a generalized approach to co-expressing proteins and offered an efficient, eco-friendly, and renewable method for the biosynthesis of vanillin from 4-PG.</p>","PeriodicalId":18582,"journal":{"name":"Microbial Cell Factories","volume":"24 1","pages":"54"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11887216/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143573485","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Michael K F Mohr, Ari Satanowski, Steffen N Lindner, Tobias J Erb, Jennifer N Andexer
{"title":"Rewiring Escherichia coli to transform formate into methyl groups.","authors":"Michael K F Mohr, Ari Satanowski, Steffen N Lindner, Tobias J Erb, Jennifer N Andexer","doi":"10.1186/s12934-025-02674-4","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12934-025-02674-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Biotechnological applications are steadily growing and have become an important tool to reinvent the synthesis of chemicals and pharmaceuticals for lower dependence on fossil resources. In order to sustain this progression, new feedstocks for biotechnological hosts have to be explored. One-carbon (C<sub>1</sub>-)compounds, including formate, derived from CO<sub>2</sub> or organic waste are accessible in large quantities with renewable energy, making them promising candidates. Previous studies showed that introducing the formate assimilation machinery from Methylorubrum extorquens into Escherichia coli allows assimilation of formate through the C<sub>1</sub>-tetrahydrofolate (C<sub>1</sub>-H<sub>4</sub>F) metabolism. Applying this route for formate assimilation, we here investigated utilisation of formate for the synthesis of value-added building blocks in E. coli using S-adenosylmethionine (SAM)-dependent methyltransferases (MT).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We first used a two-vector system to link formate assimilation and SAM-dependent methylation with three different MTs in E. coli BL21. By feeding isotopically labelled formate, methylated products with 51-81% <sup>13</sup>C-labelling could be obtained without substantial changes in conversion rates. Focussing on improvement of product formation with one MT, we analysed the engineered C<sub>1</sub>-auxotrophic E. coli strain C<sub>1</sub>S. Screening of different formate concentrations allowed doubling of the conversion rate in comparison to the not formate-supplemented BL21 strain with a share of more than 70% formate-derived methyl groups.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Within this study transformation of formate into methyl groups is demonstrated in E. coli. Our findings support that feeding formate can improve the availability of usable C<sub>1</sub>-compounds and, as a result, increase whole-cell methylation with engineered E. coli. Using this as a starting point, the introduction of additional auxiliary enzymes and ideas to make the system more energy-efficient are discussed for future applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":18582,"journal":{"name":"Microbial Cell Factories","volume":"24 1","pages":"55"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11887345/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143586307","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Metabolic engineering of Lactobacilli spp. for disease treatment.","authors":"Yunpeng Yang, Peijun Yu, Yufei Huang, Wanying Zhang, Yanhong Nie, Changshan Gao","doi":"10.1186/s12934-025-02682-4","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12934-025-02682-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>A variety of probiotics have been utilized as chassis strains and engineered to develop the synthetic probiotics for disease treatment. Among these probiotics, Lactobacilli, which are generally viewed as safe and capable of colonizing the gastrointestinal tract effectively, are widely used. We review recent advancements in the engineering of Lactobacilli for disease treatment. Specifically, the Lactobacilli that are used for the construction of synthetic probiotics, the application of these engineered strains for diseases treatment, and the therapeutic outcomes of these engineered microbes are summarized in this review. Moreover, the applications of these engineered strains for disease treatment are categorized based on their engineering strategies. Of note, we compare the advantages and disadvantages of various engineering strategies and offer insights for the future development of genetically modified Lactobacillus strains with stable and safe properties.</p><p><strong>Short conclusion: </strong>Our study comprehensively reviews researches on engineering diverse Lactobacillus strains for disease treatment, categorized by their engineering strategies, and emphasizes the importance of developing synthetic probiotics with stable and safe characteristics to enhance their therapeutic applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":18582,"journal":{"name":"Microbial Cell Factories","volume":"24 1","pages":"53"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11887175/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143573484","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}